Pew: US Jews More Likely Than Christians to State That Trump Favors Israel

U.S. Jews are more likely than Christians to say that U.S. President Donald Trump favors Israelis more than the Palestinians, according to a Pew Research poll released on Monday.

Some 42 percent of American Jews say Trump is favoring Israelis more than the Palestinians, while 47 percent of them say he has been striking the right balance between the two.

Meanwhile, 59 percent of U.S. Christians say Trump has been striking the right balance between the Israelis and Palestinians, while only 26 percent say the president is favoring Israelis more than the Palestinians.

Within the Christian demographic, 62 percent of Protestants say Trump has been striking the right balance between the two groups, while 51 percent of Catholics say it is the same. Seventy-two percent of Evangelicals say the president has struck the right balance.

The Trump administration’s directives include recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December 2017 and relocating the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv five months later; withdrawing from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in May 2018 and reimposing sanctions lifted under the accord, in addition to enacting added penalties against Tehran; and recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights in March.

White House senior adviser and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner said last month that the administration will release its highly anticipated Mideast peace plan for the Israelis and Palestinians after Israel forms a new government and after the Islamic holiday of Ramadan, which started on Sunday and continues to June 4.